Problem

Corporate mobile application for employees to be used on smartphones and tablets

Backend web service providing access to the corporate data sources

The mobile part was expected to provide cross-platformity — running on four major platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows Phone 8, and Windows RT. It required to provide ease of use on smartphones and tablet devices, be fast and secure.

Drawing on the success of the previous collaboration with Softeq in the mobile business application development field, NVIDIA teamed up with the company’s Mobile Apps Group again.

The team set up all the necessary processes and instruments for implementing the project in a distributed environment. Softeq commissioned an experienced project coordinator to work at the customer’s site in the US to maintain a high level of communication and mitigate outsourcing risks. The software engineering teams were handling all the tasks from the company’s development center in Europe.

Solution

Softeq’s team successfully delivered the solution, which was set to significantly facilitate daily interaction among NVIDIA’s employees.

We created 4 mobile applications with unified look & feel for the target mobile platforms (Android, iOS, WP8, and WinRT) and also delivered special UI designed for the iOS and Android based tablets.

The app aggregates regularly updated data from the corporate server. Integrated with an array of contact management systems utilized by the company’s employees, the application serves as a single point of access to the business information on each employee providing for the following capabilities:

Full-text search

Search by name, phone number, ID, etc.

Contact details view

Recent and Favorites views

One of the most challenging and valuable (and also most resource-consuming) features of the application is the possibility to locate employee office and desk location on a floor plan.

The solution not only allows to quickly search for contact information but also to retrieve a complete reporting hierarchy relevant to the employee under search.

Security

With so much sensitive data consolidated in one place it was only natural the application was to meet the highest security standards. The database stores encrypted data, which is further protected through:

HTTPS-based device to server connection

User authentication through login/password submission to access the updated data

In some cases search results may appear quite broad and, if not handled properly, will slow down their output to the device. The fast search-and-display capability was realized through:

Enhancing results structure

Optimizing data transfers

Optimizing back-end database performance

Results

Since NVIDIA has introduced the new mobile application to its employees, connecting to the right person across the 8,000-strong enterprise has never been easier.

The NVIDIA Contacts app stands out for usability, fast performance, and ergonomics, contributing to increased efficiency and productivity of the company’s talent across multiple business units operating worldwide.